Advertising-calendar.



PATENTED JUNE 5,1906.

W. S. THORP. ADVERTISING CALENDAR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1905.

b muzov o 2 n UNITED STATES WINFIELD S. THORP,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

.A D-VE RTISI N G-CALEN DAR Specification of Letters Patent.

.Batented-TuneB, 1 906.

Application filed August 30, 1905- Serial No. 276,379.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WINFIELD'S. THORP, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Advertising-Calendars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to combined calendars and advertising devices; and the main feature of improvement consists in the employment of a number of cards or the like supported in a frame in a manner to be reversed periodically, said cards bearing each a different date at one side and an advertisemgnt or other representation at its opposite s1 e.

In the drawings accompanying this application, Figure 1 is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of a stack of cards used in my apparatus. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a modified form of apparatus, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the line 5 50f Fig. 4.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the letter A indicates a frame or hollow support having a hinged front cover a inclosing its upper portion. A pair of parallel rods, as B,(of which only one appears in the drawings,) extend forwardly at a downward inclination from the rear wall of the frame, at which they are attached, to the front thereof. At this forward point the rods B B are bent rearwardly and returned at a downward inclination to the rear wall of the frame. A number of thin sheets, as of card or the like, as 0, provided with the holes 0 c, are strung thereby upon the rods B B, being packed closely together between the front and back of the frame. Said cards are printed or otherwise marked on both sides, bearing each a date, as the name of a month and a day thereof, on one side and an advertisement or other representation on the other side. Three hundred and sixty-five of these cards may be used or a. different number, as found convenient.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus is intended to contain three hundred and sixtyfive cards, or one for each day of the year, each one being printed on its forward surface with the name of a month and a day thereof. The cards are supported at the front of the apparatus by a finger-catch, as D or its equiva ent, such finger-catch being pivotally secured to a part of the frame, as upon the cover a, and having afknurled thumbpiece or the like with which it maybe turned. The-finger-catchD holds the cards against the outward pressure exerted by a pivotal arm E, whose weight is suflicient to impel the cards forwardly and which is held away from the rear vertical wall of the frame by a spring 6, whereby its weight bears against the cards through gravitation.

While the finger-catch D retains the cards in position upon the upper incline of .rods B, it is of-coursenecessary to release a card each day in order to expose the next one to show the succeeding date. To this end each card is provided with a diagonal slot, as c, all radiatmg from the pivot of the finger-catch D, but the slots in succeeding cards alternating in their radial direction. This feature is shown in the stack of cards of Fig. 3, wherein is seen the top card with its slot 0 in full lines, and the slot of the next succeeding card is indicated in dotted lines. Thus when the finger-catch is turned to register with the slot in the forward card the latter is thereby released and falls forwardly, the finger-catch then bearing against the surface of the next succeeding card, holding that and the remaining cards in their upright position. The next card is released by turning the fingercatch in the opposite direction, and all of the cards can be successively released by like alternate movements of the finger-catch. As a further guide for the cards when uprightly dis osed I may provide one or more uplperf inc ined rods F, secured to the rear wal the frame and extending toward the front thereof, the cards having holes 0 enabling them to be strung upon said rod or rods.

The rods B at their forward points, where bent, may be provided with a slight drop or cavity, as at B, forming a lodgment or resting place from which the fallen card may hang and display its rear surface (bearing an advertisement or other representation) until dislodged by the impact of the next falling card or otherwise caused to slide down the lower incline of rods B.

It will thus be noted that as each day shows the front or date side of a new card so, also, it shows the rear side of a different card. As each day s date is different, so, also, can each days advertisement or other representation (on the backs of the cards) be different. In this manner a pleasing and useful variety of advertisements or other suitable representasentation on the other side.

tions can be displayed during a given period of time. When all the cards have passed to the lower incline, they can be returned to their original position, an opening H in the base of the frame affording access for this purpose.

A socket, as G, placed at the rear of cover a, may serve to contain a number of cards bearing indications of different years, which are ex osed through an aperture a, formed in sai cover, and said cards can be changed by hand upon swinging the cover open. A hook I, pivoted to the frame, is adapted to engage with a stud 1', upon the cover to hold the latter closed.

A permanent advertisement or artistic design or picture may be illustrated upon the cover a, as is obvious.

In the modification illustrated inFigs. 4 and 5 I am able to reduce the depth of the frame, as seen at A, by providing two sets of reversible date-cards, the cards of one set, as J, bearing each on one side the name of a month and an advertisement or other repre- It is immaterial whether the month be noted on the obverse or reverse. The cards of the other set, as K, bear each upon one side a numeral or other indication of a day of the month and an advertisement or other representation on the other side. These cards J and K are sup ported, held, disengaged, and guided by the same instrumentalities and in the same manher as the cards 0. Only thirty-one cards are needed for the days of the month and twelve cards for the months of the year, thus occupying less space, enabling the frame to be relatively shallow in depth. While the daycards may show a different advertisement or representation daily, the monthly cards will expose the same advertisement or representation for the period of a month. In the modification the same provision or its equivalent may be made for indicating the year and for changing such indication. An additional card may be included to contain the printed directions for handling the apparatus.

Having now described my invention, I declare that what I claim is A combined calendar and advertising device comprising a frame, a number of cards disposed vertically within said frame, an inclined guideway supporting said cards, gravity-actuated means impelling said cards forwardly, and means for retaining said cards in vertical position and releasing them singly, together with means reversing each released card to expose its rear surface and the front surface of the next card, a forward rest for a reversed card, and an inclined guideway to convey the reversed cards rearwardly.

Signed at New York this 27th day of July,

WINFIELD S. THORP. l/Vitnesses:

FREDERICK C. BONNY, F. W. BARKER. 

